Platinum and Emerald
by Nightshadowmidnight
Summary: The nation of Seiyo is held together by two very contrasting characters, yet their people don't even know it. They work together side by side – light and dark in perfect harmony. Without the other the kingdom would struggle to survive, but more importantly so would they. Historical AU, Tadase&Ikuto friendship/brotherhood, One-shot.


_Platinum and Emerald_

_Summary: _The nation of Seiyo is held together by two very contrasting characters, yet their people don't even know it. They work together side by side – light and dark in perfect harmony. Without the other the kingdom would struggle to survive, but more importantly so would they.

-:-:-:-

It is rare that you will find a place where both the light and the darkness in the world are in perfect balance – where one will benefit the other and connect in such a way that the outcome for the two will be very positive. It is rare that you will find somewhere in which they back the other up – not as enemies or neighbours, but as friends; as partners. It is rare.

But Seiyo was unique. Seiyo was a place where both extremes collided and intertwined as one to create an equilibrium of courts. One could not function without the other; else the grand Kingdom and all its colonies would ultimately fall.

Atop the Palace at the very heart of the nation stood the King; the man from which this partnership had originally formed. Bright, sunny skies greeted Tadase Hotori as he stepped out into the light of day and onto the balcony that overlooked the city. The light breeze greeted him and he turned his head towards the sky, taking in the air and overseeing the daily business of the people in the city. He could see for miles around, right to the very edges of the legendary city. He watched the coaches roll between the buildings; the birds soar high above; he watched the guards take their turns by the Palace gate. He overlooked the people who respected him as their King and thanked to God that he had had the courage to run this country.

"Things are looking excellent once more, Your Majesty."

The King of Seiyo looked back over his shoulder to see his adviser in the doorway. Kairi Sanjou adjusted the glasses perched on the end of his nose before joining His Majesty and bowing deeply.

"Pardon my intrusion." Was all he said.

"None needed, Sanjou," Tadase assured him; "and yes…" He glanced back over to the view of the city – all fine stone building and arches, spires and turrets and flagpoles bearing the nation's symbol – with a fondness that truly touched his heart with warmth and pride among several other emotions he could not quite put a finger on. "Yes, things are looking excellent again. I must thank you again for your help during this time."

Actually, most of the thanks could go to someone else, but he doubted Kairi would appreciate him saying so after all the advice he had given him these past few months.

Earlier in the year, word had reached the Palace that a certain rebel group was planning to overthrow the King with the help of several other underground organisations, some of which intended to infiltrate the King's Palace itself and assassinate him in the dead of night. However, needless to say, their schemes were quickly prevented and their group leaders easily thrashed in a short battle just outside of the city walls where they had been gathered to arrange the start of their coup. Seiyo was a grand nation and its ruler would not be defeated quite so easily by a pack of criminals – that was the message that Tadase had given to those men as they were cuffed and chained by the guards, rolling in the filth and mud which they had risen from and cursing over their crude attempt at a revolution. Since then, their security had tightened and once more there was peace.

"Your Majesty," Kairi began once more, gesturing towards the door and Tadase guessed that he wished to leave and make some adjustments to a certain treaty he would be proposing to the leaders of another country in the east. If things went well and the King was pleased with his suggestions some of the shaky tensions that had arisen between the two powers would be significantly decreased. "I must insist we pick up our work again."

"Of course." Tadase nodded and followed the adviser inside, taking a fleeting look at the scenery behind him before he was confined to the dull space of his office. He smiled upon seeing a songbird flit its way over a church tower. Yes, peace was nice.

He would thank his brother for all his help when he returned.

-:-:-:-

Echoes filled the empty silence of the basement as heavy boots clunked against stone floors. The tied man in the chair stared defiantly up at his captor who was ever so slowly but surely getting closer, fingers at his side ever so subtly tapping on the hilt of his dagger as a silent reminder of the situation that the man had found himself in.

"Now…" a deep voice began and the moving figure was now in front of the man, leaning down to meet his eye line and speaking in that tone – slow and dangerous – that sent chills up his spine. But he would not talk. He would not give in or show his fear or even so much as let his chill become a tremble in the shadow of his abductor.

"I'm going to ask you, in the nicest way I possibly can – I am not a brute, and after all, I _do _have some manners – one more time…" The voice said again in a way so unusually calm that it only made the man's apprehension increase dramatically. "Who hired you?"

The man laughed. And laughed. And laughed. So loud he howled that the figure straightened up and backed off at the volume.

_"You think it's that simple!" _the man hooted. _"You think you can so easily find Easter's informants! _Easter is bigger than you could ever have_ imagined! So **big! **And you think they're not capable of covering their tracks? **You're wrong! So **wrong! _They'll blend into the shadows! They'll creep their way right up to you, Tsukiyomi, and they'll _cut _you down and leave you for dead and then vanish without a trace because you _can't _touch _Easter!"_

But before he knew it, the man found himself raised from his chair, his captor's fingers digging into his chest as they grabbed his shirt and roughly pulled him upright. The movement cut off the deranged man's ranting and he was silent as the voice of Ikuto Tsukiyomi said, much more threatening this time;

"I asked for who hired you."

The man spat in his face and he was harshly dropped back into the chair. He watched as Ikuto stepped back, shaking his head and heading towards the door to their right.

"I really wish you people would stop choosing to do things the hard way…" he uttered in exasperation.

The man in the chair frowned a little before scoffing. "You surprise me, Tsukiyomi." They said mockingly. "We've all heard of you – _all_ of us. I've had high expectations for this and yet… Well… It's not really one of your dreaded torture sessions, is it?"

There was no immediate reply. The door was yanked open and Ikuto called out to the person stood at the top of the steps that led down to this dingy basement. "Hey, get the others down here." And he turned back to give his hostage a dirty look. "He's not giving in." A reply was heard from upstairs and the man quickly became anxious once more at the realisation that his hope for a lucky escape from a near death experience was about to be shattered.

"And to be honest, I don't particularly like to get my hands into this whole torture business." Ikuto Tsukiyomi added in as he left the room. "It gets a little messy."

-:-:-:-

The moon shone bright and strong onto the small town that night. In Ikuto's room it crept through the glass of the window and spread across the floorboards, illuminating everything in its path in a way so beautiful that he found he did not want to tear his gaze from it. But when he did he found the view outside was just as picturesque with the rooftops lit up with moonbeams, the little pin-prick stars twinkling ahead. Coaches that passed over the bridge that loomed over the inn he was staying inside were bathed in milky light and for a moment Ikuto was truly glad that he had chosen to remain here for one more night, no matter how pleasingly tranquil the scenery might be. Had he made a move he would have been easily spotted in such a bright and open space.

Sighing, he allowed his feet to drop from their resting place on the top of the desk opposite and they landed with a satisfying '_thunk_'. He would stay for tonight. In the morning he and his small group of men would leave the inn and begin to head back to the capital where he would meet up with the King of Seiyo and report back on a few details.

_'Like how we've failed again to find out who's behind all this…'_

His mind wandered back to the short conversation he'd had with the kidnapped man some time earlier.

_"They'll blend into the shadows! They'll creep their way right up to you, Tsukiyomi, and they'll **cut** you down and leave you for dead and then vanish without a trace because you **can't** touch **Easter**!"_

"'Easter'…" he murmured, testing the word on his tongue and trying so desperately to recall whereabouts he'd heard that term before. Evidently, the man from earlier had thought that he was already aware of this invisible group's name – that damned organisation that had given Ikuto a few months' worth of headaches and sleepless nights just trying to figure it all out. But no, he hadn't known. He'd have to thank his hostage for such a useful piece of information.

Ikuto scoffed and leaned further back in his seat.

"What kind of name is that?"

_'Honestly, the kind of stuff I get myself into… All for that little Kiddy King.' _He thought to himself, though the twitch of a smile that appeared on his normally cool and indifferent features could still be seen for a split-second, shining under the lunar glow that still drifted in through the window panes. Ikuto shook his head and let himself laugh a little because sometimes he really wondered why he didn't mind chasing after illegal underground bodies and runaway criminals through the grotty little industrial towns and alleyways; fighting tooth and nail and then staggering back into the shadows and disappearing into the darkness.

Darkness…

It really didn't bother him that much – the darkness.

Seiyo was the biggest empire that had ever risen from the land. It was a Kingdom of wealth; a Kingdom of power; and a Kingdom of justice. It had many allies and it had many enemies. Most enemies, however, happened to be those who lived in the country itself. They wanted to take power, to knock King Tadase Hotori from his throne and govern the Kingdom by themselves and Ikuto thought they were mad. Simply mad. Why risk the wellbeing of an entire nation in such a reckless movement such as a coup, barely tied together by some of the most unreliable criminal gangs in the country?

Tadase Hotori had taken the throne as soon as his father had passed nearly two years ago and, since then, there he had stayed. Ikuto was fine with that – Tadase was very much capable of maintaining the Kingdom of Seiyo. To the great woodlands in the north, the rolling hills in the south and to the sunny shores that marked the boundary line between Earth and sea the people prospered – just as they had done for many centuries. But soon into his reign, Tadase had realised that he was very much unprepared for the sudden threat of an uprising. That was when these villainous groups became stronger, far more daring than they had been during Yui Hotori's rule. The vermin had risen from the gutters of civilisation in their hundreds and sworn to take their chance and seize the Kingdom whilst the new King was still young and inexperienced – whilst killing him would be as easy as squashing a small bug.

But, of course, the attempt was futile for, whilst travelling about the country, Ikuto had happened to overhear three young members of a gang (he believed it was named 'The Devil's Tune') discussing some minor details of the upcoming attempt on Tadase's life in a tavern outside of the capital. It was quite unlucky for them that Ikuto was closely linked to the Royal Family and they were quickly dealt with. Ikuto had returned to the Palace and coolly accepted Tadase's thanks because, honestly, he was relieved that he had caught the three criminals before their plans had escalated any further and he had warned Tadase to keep his eyes open for the number of similar plots that were sure to come. It was from this single comment that a deal had been struck and since then Ikuto had silently made himself at home in the darkness – in the shadows and gloom that encompassed the world of underground gangs and dodgy dealings and all that was unlawful in the world. As Tadase ruled the realm from above, Ikuto lurked down here, maintaining what little order he could and striking down those who conspired against the King and the safety of the Kingdom before their plans could come to fruition. Hotori was the great leader – the head of the nation, the official ruler, loved by his people – whilst Ikuto did the work that Tadase could not do from his throne all the way up there in the light. After all, if he did not have eyes underground then how could he hope to gain information on invisible enemies?

It was truly a Kingdom held together by light and dark – the man who symbolised all the good in the nation and he whose name spread alarm even in the world of shadows. He hunted them down and took them out and then walked so terrifyingly calmly away from the battlefield; into the mist like a phantom of the night who punished the evil all for the good of the empire. Yet he did not allow himself to become so badly soaked in the darkness that he allowed himself to wander and stray away from the path of righteousness. He didn't dwell in any shadow – he dwelled in the _King's_ shadow and they worked together. An unusual, but lasting alliance.

"Kiddy King really dragged me into it this time." Ikuto sighed, finally heaving himself up from his chair by the window and moving towards the bed. "I can't waste time reporting back to Tadase… I need to investigate into this 'Easter'."

He growled a little, frustrated that he would have to travel all the way to the capital only to rush back again. If he left it too long, the informant he suspected had hired the man he'd captured that day would have fled the town and he'd have to spend months carefully tracking him down again. Whatever business Easter ran it was definitely an incredibly organised one. Hell, they could very well be watching him and his men and Ikuto wouldn't even know it. Whoever their leader was, he doesn't just allow anyone to pry into his business. One didn't simply find him – _he _found you. He trained informants to gather a person's background information, to watch his potential new members for a number of weeks before sending them out to hire them into the gang once he felt confident in their abilities.

But until now, Ikuto had never been able to put a name to this organisation. Yet now he had it! He smirked rather smugly. This had been no trivial job like he'd thought. Small time jobs were no good for him, but, then again, if it led him to one of the biggest underground leaders in the country… He supposed it was worth it.

"Kiddy King should be very pleased when I catch up to him."

-:-:-:-

Tadase stepped forwards into the open space of the balcony, his golden head of hair a shining halo – a glorious beacon of light that the people viewed with admiration and awe as they gathered below to hear their King's speech, clapping and cheering for their leader. He silenced them with a wave of the hand and they all awaited his next words, whispers and murmurs occasionally becoming loud enough to reach his ears even from so high above.

"My people," Tadase began, his voice full of authority and a firmness that had each person's attention firmly fixed on himself. To his side Kairi subtly patted his chest, silently reminding him to project his voice so that it could reach the entire crowd. "It is with great joy and pleasure that I bring this news to you all. Early this morning, I received _this _message-" he held up a scroll of parchment wrapped in red ribbon and bearing the stamp of a foreign empire's Royal Crest; "-from our neighbours to the east. His Majesty – the King of Inzei – has ordered his troops to withdraw from our eastern colonies and has gladly accepted the terms of our treaty."

Down below the faces in the crowd were hopeful and lit up at the prospect of such a peaceful resolution to what had been an ongoing threat. Tadase smiled, thrilled to see them as glad as he was, and continued.

"He has agreed to settle the matter peacefully and – as he has written in this document that was handed to me earlier today – hopes to form a strong, long-lasting alliance in order to protect the interests of both our empires." He paused then, taking a second to choose his next words, before leaning slightly and addressing his people once again. "And I would like to thank you. All of you. I would like to thank you for your patience and for your loyalty towards this country and your King. And I…"

And he trailed off as in the crowd before him he was sure that he caught a glimpse of blue. The kind of blue he knew so very well. The kind of blue that was present in his memories his entire life; that he used to chase down the marble hallways of the family Palace and through the gardens; the kind of blue that would play him a melody on the violin whenever he was sad. It was the shade that had made his current success possible.

_'Ikuto has made it back already?'_

And sure enough there in the crowd – towards the back, leant up against the wall of a building and almost completely covered in his signature muddy-brown cloak – was that spot of navy colour that had caught his eye. His 'big brother' Ikuto met his eye, though how he knew that he was the one being watched Tadase didn't know. Ikuto did nothing, but he stared up at the younger man with a gleam in his eyes that gave off just a hint of pride.

Tadase swallowed and quickly picked up where he left off to avoid any more suspicion; "I would like to see that you all continue to put such faith and loyalty in your country and I… It is the people of this country that I aim to make benefit from this alliance." He said confidently. "And I shall see to it that Seiyo continues to thrive."

With that the gathering of common folk burst into a round of applause and cheers and other celebrations of the sort that had Tadase feeling like he'd ultimately made the best decision in this whole treaty business. As he had thought, if he could not make such an arrangement work for his people, then why bother with it at all?

The King, casting his eyes over the mass that had congregated in the courtyard, once more found his eyes resting upon his older brother and he was once more reminded that though he called the shots for measures such as this newest treaty, there was a whole other side to his rule over Seiyo and not a single one of the commoners down there knew it. There was another world: A _shadow _world. Things transpired down there that all of these people up here in the light would never have believed and, as reluctant he felt to admit it, however dismal it left him to know it, he knew he couldn't have hoped to manage the light and the dark in equal balance without stepping into the dark himself. He could not do that. His father before him had barely managed it and ultimately had been killed as a result.

But luckily, stood there in that casual, relaxed manner, was his helping hand. From the crowd, Ikuto gave a teasing smirk to his little brother before turning and heading back into the main city.

Tadase, stood atop the balcony before his people, bathed in the golden rays of the sunlight that shone down on the city like a blessing from the heavens, and watched the man leave with a fond smile.

_'And it's all thanks to you, my big brother Ikuto.'_

-:-:-:-

**_A/N: _**Inspired by the scene in episode 101 in which Tadase and Ikuto both fight against the giant X-Chara. I couldn't help but notice the contrast between the two. They're so close (in a relation sense), but at the same time they looked so different. I mean, look at Tadase – like a beacon of light – compared to Ikuto – darker and duller in comparison, but he's still by no means the bad guy and is certainly working on Tadase's side.  
There needs to be more appreciation for Tadase and Ikuto's bond in my opinion. I just love those two. Ikuto tries to be so indifferent and cold, but he'll always have a fondness for the little kid he grew up with. Likewise, Tadase may act harshly towards Ikuto, but really he's just hurt by his 'older brother's behaviour since he returned. He's just feeling betrayed and he doesn't understand why Ikuto would change so much, so he reacts very badly.


End file.
